1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carrier for use with both younger and older infants. The carrier can be used by younger infants having a smaller build and older infants having a bigger build.
2. Description of Related Art
A baby, a younger infant, and even older infants were typically moved around in a baby wrapper carried on a parent's back. In recent years, a baby carrier to allow a parent to carry his baby on his back or shoulder has come into wide use.
However, such baby carrier has the disadvantage of exposure to sunlight. The baby carriers that use a sunlight screen present additional problems of screens that cannot be optionally mounted on the baby carrier. These disadvantages may be avoided by a baby carrier disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0763412 owned by the present applicant. However, the techniques disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0763412 do not overcome the following problems.
An M-shaped leg posture is the recommended leg posture of a baby in a baby carrier. As used herein, the phrase “M-shaped leg posture” refers to a posture where a baby's knee is located above its hip. This leg posture allows a baby's hip to be tilted toward the front slightly arching its back, to minimize pressure from above, thereby reducing the risk of backbone damage.
For the purpose of achieving this posture, a user (for example, a baby's parent) has to purchase and use different size baby carriers based on age of the baby in days.
For example, a small-built younger infant, up to 100 days old (particularly as old as from 30 days to 100 days) should be placed in the M-shaped leg posture in a baby carrier. As shown in FIG. 1, a younger infant in an M-shaped leg position leaves spaces 31 on both sides of the lower part of a back support web body 30. Shoulder supports 10 are lockstitched to both sides of the upper part of the back support with body 30. A waist band 20 for fastening to a user's waist is lockstitched to the lower part of the back support web body 30.
With this configuration, the legs of the younger infant in the carrier are placed in the M-shaped leg posture only when the lower part of the back support web body 30 supports the hip of the small-built younger infant.
Since the legs of the younger infant placed in the M-shaped leg posture are placed in spaces 31 formed in both sides of the lower part of the back support web body 30, it is possible for the user to move with the younger infant in the baby carrier.
A bigger older infant, older than 100 days, should also be in an M-shaped leg posture in the baby carrier. However, when such a big-built older infant is put into the baby carrier having the same back support web body 30 sized for a younger infant, injury to the baby may occur. Since the lower part of the back support web body 30 is narrower than the hip of the older infant and the legs of the older infant stand up, there is a risk of backbone damage, or dislocation of a hip joint, and so on.
In order to avoid this problem, as shown in FIG. 2, the M-shaped leg leading spaces are removed from the back support web body 40. The shoulder supports 10 are lockstitched to both sides of the upper part of the back support web body 40. The waist band 20 for fastening to the user's waist is lockstitched to the lower part of the back support web body 40. The hips and some of the thigh of the big-built older infant can then be supported in the M-shaped leg posture.
The problem remains that the user has to buy at least two different baby carriers, one for use with a younger infant, and one for use with the older infant, as the small-built younger infant grows.